Editorial: Back to School - Good Steps, Good Intentions
The first day of school in Fairfax County is Tuesday, Sept. 2, but Monday, Sept. 8 is the beginning of something important. For the first time in decades, elementary school students will have a full day of school on Mondays instead of being sent home hours early. This action makes so much sense in for families with children in elementary school. The ability of Superintendent Karen Garza to facilitate this change to go into effect right away is remarkable, and we hope a promise for more changes ahead.
Editorial: Accountability for Police in Northern Virginia
There is more transparency in the police shooting in Ferguson last week than in police shootings in Northern Virginia.
This is not Ferguson, and tanks do not roll down the streets of Northern Virginia driven by police officers pointing sniper rifles at residents.
Letter: Well Deserved Endorsements
Letter to the Editor
The recent endorsement of Barbara Comstock by both the National Association Realtors and the Virginia Association of Realtors is not only well deserved, but speaks volumes as to the impact that both Barbara and Congressman Frank Wolf have played in helping further both our local economy and that of the country. As a Virginia resident for nearly 30 years and a Realtor for nine years, I know firsthand what Barbara has meant to our community.
Letter: Good Old Times
Letter to the Editor
I really enjoyed Marilyn Campbell's article about "Keeping School Clutter Under Control" [Connection, Aug. 13-19, 2014], which contains great advice about maintaining a tidy environment in the home relating to school activities and assignments.
All Write For Now
And so it goes, every three months or so; a CT Scan, a week or so of waiting, and then a face-to-face appointment with my oncologist to learn/discuss the results. Thankfully, the results continue to be amazing. My doctor has told me that I’m his third miracle; stage IV, non-small cell lung cancer patients generally don’t live beyond two years. I’m in year six.
Write Now, I Just Don’t Know
The biggest writing problem that I have, other than the ones you regular readers generally know about, is writing a current column on the weekend immediately preceding the next Wednesday’s publication date, when I am still waiting on results from my most recent CT Scan. This isn’t like putting the cart before the horse, this is more like putting the horse in the cart and pulling it.
Homelessness: Source of Trauma for Children
Nearly 700 children live in emergency homeless shelters in Fairfax County at some point during the year.
Summer vacation is wrapping up; kids everywhere are gearing up for the return to school. Stores are filled with school supplies; back-to-school advertising fills our TVs, radio and mailboxes. Many families are hustling from store to store getting supplies, backpacks, clothes and haircuts. As children, while we hated to see summer end, we fondly remember the yearly ritual and the excitement and anticipation of getting all those new things.
Letter: Fit Academics Into the Fun
Finding ways to fit academics into the fun is imperative to making sure children are prepared for the coming school year which begins in just a few short weeks.
Letter: Residents Support White Oaks Planting
The Connection coverage last month of the Great Falls legacy white oak planting program was very thorough.
Editorial: Brightening Outlook for End of Summer
Local pleasures to offset discouraging news.
The news here has been a bit discouraging, and that’s without considering the human tragedy and disaster of several different international situations.
Letter: Global Warming Is Impacting Us Now
With increasingly powerful storms bringing down trees and flooding our roads, global warming isn’t a distant threat for Virginia. It’s impacting us now.
Column: “CanSir”
When it comes to being a cancer patient, even more so a multi-year cancer survivor, I have always erred on the side of caution. And by caution, I mean being respectful to the disease, courteous of its comings and goings, mindful of its potential damage and afraid of its intangibles. And by intangibles, I mean the unexplained and the inexplicable, and most fearfully, its power and unpredictability. Therefore, my behavior toward it has been intended to be as polite as possible; never to be perceived – in any way imaginable – as arrogant, presumptuous, in control, all-knowing and most especially, victorious.
Editorial: Finally, Marriage Rights Protected in Virginia
On July 28, 2014, in affirming that Virginia’s ban on same-sex marriage is unconstitutional, Circuit Judge Henry F. Floyd writes: “We recognize that same-sex marriage makes some people deeply uncomfortable. However, inertia and apprehension are not legitimate bases for denying same-sex couples due process and equal protection of the laws.
Letter: Choosing Wisely In November
I recommend we choose Barbara Comstock instead of John Foust in the November election for our representative to the U. S. House of Representatives from the Virginia 10th District.
Letter: A Good News
Saul Centers is to be loudly applauded for the new oasis at the Safeway Shopping Center on Walker Road.